Micah Parsons isn’t someone who hands out compliments just to be polite. It simply does not go with his personality, especially when it comes to other pass rushers. But even he can’t ignore the season Myles Garrett is putting together in Cleveland. In classic Parsons fashion, the Green Bay Packers’ LB found a…roundabout way to show his admiration.

Parsons said he’s blown away by what Garrett is doing this year, but he didn’t hesitate to needle him a bit, too.

“I told him, if you don’t break the record, you suck. You can’t get this close to the finish line and not finish it. So I’m actually rooting for him in that aspect,” Parsons said.

And joking aside, Garrett is well within reach of the mark. He’s four sacks shy of the league’s single-season record. He’s sitting on 19 sacks through 12 games, with 14 of those coming in the last five weeks. At this point, it feels more like WHEN rather than IF.

His night against the Baltimore Ravens alone should carry weight in the Defensive Player of the Year conversation. Lamar Jackson isn’t exactly an easy target, maybe the toughest quarterback in football to bring down, and Garrett got him four times by himself.

The official sack record is jointly held by Michael Strahan (2001) and T.J. Watt (2021). The unofficial record belongs to Al Baker, who posted 23 sacks in 1978 before sacks were even tracked. Garrett has five games left to make both numbers his. And none of this is surprising if you know Garrett’s wiring. Parsons shared a story that sums it up well.

“We text and talk about it all the time. This guy is just non-stop. I think his first five sack game, he saw me have like three sacks in the same week, and he was like, ‘I saw you had a good game, so I just felt like I had to go out there. ‘ That’s the type of guy he is. So I try not to be too much cause I know he is always watching,” Parsons said.

Garrett has been so dominant that Parsons has essentially conceded the Defensive Player of the Year race. But is there still hope for the Packers‘ edge rusher?

Micah Parsons gives up on DPOY

For what it’s worth, Micah Parsons isn’t having some down year. Far from it. He’s third in the league with 12.5 sacks and just became the second player ever to open his career with five straight seasons of at least 10 sacks. But even with that resume, he doesn’t think he’s in Myles Garrett’s orbit right now.

“I think I’m having a pretty good year. I just want to sustain these last five weeks. I read same thing you guys read, ‘He never finishes the year.’ Well, it’s time to go finish the year. It’s been a great first half, I’ve done this before; 12 sacks, pressures QB hits, wins. I just wanna finish the year. Leave no doubt,” he said.

He’ll try to top his career-high of 14 sacks and keep that momentum going, assuming the Packers can stay in the postseason race. But former Rams tackle Aaron Donald thinks Parsons still has a real shot, even if Garrett breaks the record.

“To be honest with you, I think this guy can mess around and have about 15 sacks this season. His team go make this playoff run? Defensive Player of the Year. I know Myles Garret is going for the record, but I don’t know,” he said.

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Donald added that Parsons is heating up at the right time, and that if both he and the Packers finish strong, voters will take notice. Get to 15 sacks, pair it with a postseason push, and he’s firmly in the mix.

Still, the deciding factor might be team success. Cleveland won’t be part of the playoff picture, and that usually matters with this award. On the other hand, what Garrett is doing in an offense-challenged, injury-riddled season feels like the kind of year that deserves recognition no matter how the standings look.